In most homes today, the hall is a place where shoes, bags and coats are kept in various states of disarray. In contrast, the Victorians regarded the hall as a significant space, and one which should be furnished accordingly. After all, making a good impression was vital!
In the year that marks 150 years since Gustav Holst was born in the house, we’re raising vital funds to restore the elegance and atmosphere of our Victorian hall. We’d like our visitors to see it just as Gustav might have done as a young boy, returning home from feeding the ducks in Pittville Park.
Will you help us to make that vision a reality? Listed below are the most important items that we need. Any donation that you’re able to make towards one or more of the items will really help us to bring the space to life, and to fully complete the transformation of 4, Clarence Road to a Victorian home.
Thank you so much.
A table, a hat and umbrella stand, and a seat of some kind are indispensable,
and therefore they should be made of as convenient a size and description as possible.
‘Suggestions for Interior Decoration’, 1877
Our shopping list
A practical hall stand Fully funded, thank you!
A wonderful 19th-century hall stand has been offered to us by The Wilson, and will be transferred to the collection at the Holst Victorian House. The ironwork stand, which was once used at Cheltenham’s Cambray Spa, requires significant restoration before it can go on display. The cost of the work by a professional conservator, plus transport costs, will come to £1,000
Antique hats and coats
We’d really love our visitors to feel like they’re stepping into the Holst’s home, where the family’s hats and coats are hanging on the stand waiting to be worn. To purchase original hats from the period and/or high quality replicas will cost £400.
A fine barometer
Clocks and barometers were an indispensable part of the Victorian household. We were very fortunate to receive the donation of a grandfather clock in 2021, which now stands proudly at the foot of the stairs. To complete the display – and to enable visitors to check the weather! – we hope to purchase a barometer of the correct period, which we estimate will cost £400.
A sparkling mirror Fully funded, thank you!
Victorian halls tended to be decorated in a dark colour, just like ours. This style of decor, together with the small dimensions of the hall and a lack of daylight, could create a rather gloomy atmosphere. Hanging a mirror in the hall was (and still is) a great way of making it seem bigger and brighter. We expect the cost of a 19th-century mirror to be £300.
NB: the minimum donation we can accept is £5 to cover the cost of card processing fees, etc